Current-rectifier.



PATENTED DEG. 6, 1904.

P. H.V THOMAS.

CURRENT REGTIFIER.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY e, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

No. 776,564. PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904. P. H. THOMAS.

CURRENT REGTIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY e, 1903.

No MODEL. z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'iran rares Patented December 6, 1904.

Parier trice.

HEWITT ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NET YORK.

CURRENT-RECTIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 776,564, datedDecember 6, 1904.

Original application filed February 4, 1903, Serial No. 141,804. Dividedand this application filed May 6, 1903. Serial No. 155,925. (No model.)

To all wwnt 7175 may cm1/06771,:

Be it known that I, PEucY H. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States,anda resident otPittsburg, county ofAllegl1eny,State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Current-Rectifiers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for obtaining' a flow of current in agiven direction from alternating' electromotive forces.

In its physical embodiment the device herein described consists, ingeneral, of an inclosing chamber containing a gas or vapor and separatedelectrodes, one or both usually consisting ot' mercury. When properlyconstructed and operated, a current may be caused to pass in onedirection only through such a device, the device opposing so greatresistance to iiow oi' current in the opposite direction as topractically prohibit such iiow.

The particular subject or this invention is a novel form andconstruction or' such a device, the object being to provide means forkeeping the device cool, maintaining the proper purity and density ofthe gas or vapor within the chamber, and adapting it to transmitcurrents of large quantity.

In carrying out my invention I provide means for conducting a largeamount ot' current into and lfrom-the device with relatively smallresistance and also means for carrying away from the chamber heatgenerated therein and for withdrawing from the chamber any excess ofvapor and maintaining the vapor in the proper condition. Among the meansemployed for these purposes are tubular exten` sions of the main body ofthe container, these extensions being lilled wholly or partially withmercury, ii' that be the substance of either or all of the electrodes.The lower ends of the tubes are open and are dipped into vesselscontaining mercury, the mercury columns inside the tubes being sustainedby atmospheric pressure or in case of need by higher pressure, as willbe explained farther on. I also provide a pump o'lI suitable form forcausing the circulation by positive means of mercury into and out of themain chamber. In this way-a circulation of the mercury within thechamber is obtained.

During the process of circulation the mercury may be cooled byartificial means, as by one or more refrigerating-coils placed at aproper point or points in the cycle, or I may f accomplish the coolingeilect by causing' the mercury to enter or reenter the chamber in theform of spray. These two means may, if desired, be combined, or othercooling devices may be employed.

The invention will be described more particularly in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which-M Figure l is a vertical section showingone form of apparatus, and Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate modifications.

Referring to the lirst ligure oi the drawings, l represents theinclosing chamber containing a suitable gas or vapor, which forconvenience will be referred to as a mercury-vapor. This is providedwith two tubular extensions 2 and 4, containing columns otl mercurywhich constitute, respectively, the positive and negative terminals ot'the device. The tubes are here represented as being iilled with mercuryand as terminating in vessels 5 and 6, respectively, in which vesselsmercury is contained. The lower ends of the tubes 2 and 4 are open, and.the mercury columns are sustained within them by atmospheric pressure.The chamber is provided with a third tube 3, which terminates in avessel 7, also containing mercury. The vessel 7 is connected by a pipe 8with any suitable form of pump 9, the outlet of which is connected by apipe l0 with the bottom ot' the vessel 5.

In operation current is led from a conductor 11 into the mercury in thevessel 5, then passes up the mercury column contained in the tube 2,through the vapor in the chamber l to the column contained in the tube4, thence to the vessel 6, and out by way of the conductor l2. Inasmuchas more or less heat will be developed in the passage of current throughthe device, it is found convenient to cause a more or less continuousflow of mercury upward through the tube 2 into the chamber, from whenceit iiows downward through the tube 3, carrying with it more or less ofthe gas or vapor contained within the chamber.V Such continuous flowwill not only result in providing cool mercury for the positive terminalof the device, but will continually act as a pump for maintaining therequisite density and purity on the part of the vapor in the chamber.The mercury as it falls into the vessel 7 is withdrawn, preferably, fromthe bottom of the vessel, so as to be free from air, by way of the pipe8 through the pump 9 and returned to the vessel 5. The vessel 7 may beso constructed as to afford a considerable heat-radiating surface to themercury, and, moreover, there may be added a cooling-pipe 13 forcirculating` water or other cooling fluid. The surface of the mercury inthe vessel 5 is so adjusted with reference to the tube 2 that thebarometric height of the column of mercury in the tube 2 will bring thetop of the column at the proper point for permitting the gradual flow ofmercury from the depression in the chamber at the top of the tube overinto the depression in which the tube 3 terminates.

It is generally found unnecessary to cool the negative terminal, as insome instances the device operates better while the negative terminal ishot; but, if desired, a like device may be employed in connection withthe negative terminal.

There will always be more or less condensation of the mercury-vapor uponthe walls of the vessel, and the presence of the cold body of mercurycontributes to this action, which results in keeping the vapor at itsproper denity.

It should be observed that the pipe 3 should be of such length that thebarometric pressure will leave its upper surface at a considerabledistance below the body of the vessel 1, so as to better insure thepumping' action of the mercury-iiow. Moreover, by virtue of such anarrangement the mercury passing into the top of the chamber 3 will atfirst be present in the form of drops, which will carry more or less ofthe vapor from the chamber 1 down through the column in the tube 3 by anaction similar to that of a Sprengel pump.

I show in Fig. 2 a construction in which the tubes 2 and 4 are dispensedwith and the leadwires connected directly with the positive and negativeterminals 2 and 8 in the chamber 1. The tube 3 is present, as before,and the vessel 7 is connected through a pumping device similar to thatalready described with a vessel 14. From this vessel I branch two pipesor tubes 15 and 16, which are led into opposite ends of the chamber 1and terminate in nozzles 17 and 18, respectively, through which themercury, which is forced through these pipes by atmospheric pressure,passes into the chamber in the form of finely-divided spray. By thesemeans not only are the terminals themselves cooled, but also theconductingvapor within the chamber 1.

1t may be found desirable for special purposes to maintain theconducting gas or vapor in the container at a very high pressure, inwhich case the atmospheric pressure exerted upon the outer terminals ofthe mercury columns might be insufficient to maintain the inner ends ofsuch columns in operative relation with the conducting gas or vapor.Under such conditions an excess pressure may be applied to the outerterminals of the mercury columns, as by extending the said columns overinto the other side or leg of a U-shaped tube, thus adding to theatmospheric pressure the weight of a part of the mercury column. Themain thing to be obtained is that the column of conducting fluid,whatever the nature of the fiuid is, may serve as a balance between theexternal andthe internal pressures. This arrangement is illustrated inFig. 3, where the tubes 2 and 4 are represented with extensions whichreturn in such a manner as to form U- shaped tubes in which mercury iscontained. 'In this case it is assumed that the conducting gas or vaporin the chamber 1 is under high pressure, and to compensate for suchexcessive pressure the weight of the mercury above the limit ofatmospheric pressure is increased by the weight of the mercury in theouter sides of the tubes.

It will be observed that in Fig. 3 the exittube 3 is dispensed with andthe pump is applied to the outer terminals of the tubes 2 and 4. Inorder to secure a good cooling effect, I may surround the tube 8 with awaterjachet 20.

Manifestly the term extension or Lextensions7 as used in thisspecification does not necessarily mean tubes formed in one piece withthe chamber or formed on the chamber. Such extensions may be tubessecured in the walls of the chamber by any means which will preventleakage. Obviously also one tube may be arranged within another, so asto leave an annular space outside the inner tube, the conducting fluidforming one electrode being contained in one of the tubes and theoverflow taking place in the other tube.

So far as the cooling and purifying of the vapor is concerned, theliquid which is circulated need not be a conducting liquid, and it isnot my intention to limit the present invention to the employment ofconducting liquids only.

This application is a division of my application filed February 4, 1903,Serial No. 141,804.

Certain features of the invention herein described are claimed in adivisional application filed August 23, 1904, Serial No. 221,816.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination of an exhausted chamber, agas or vapor therein, a negative electrode, one or more positiveelectrodes presenting surfaces within the chamber, at least TOO IIC

one of which consists of an inclosed fluid column having anapproximately level surface, and means for continuously supplying freshfluid to said column or columns, and an outlet for excess liuidpermittinga flow of iiuid from said exhausted chamben 2. The combinationof an inclosing cham'- ber, a gas or vapor within the same, a negativeelectrode, one or more positive electrodes within the chamber,consisting of columns of conducting fluid extending from points withoutthe chamber, means for replenishing said columns, and means forwithdrawing from the chamber the excess of Huid and simultaneouslypumping out the chamber bythe action of the outiiowing fluid.

3. The combination of an inclosing chamber, a gas or vapor therein, twoor more tubular extensions of said chamber, conductingv fiuids having'definite surfaces and sealing said extensions and constitutingelectrodes, a supplemental extension and means for causing a flow offluid through one or more of the electrode extensions into the chamberand through the supplemental extension out from said chamber.

4. The combination of an inclosing chamber, a gas or vapor therein,tubular extensions of said chamber, conducting fluids having definitesurfaces and sealing said extensions and constituting'electrodes, asupplemental extension, means for causing a flow of fluid through one ormore of the electrode extensions into the chamber and through thesupplemental extension out from said chamber, and means for cooling thefluid so withdrawn.

5. The combination of an inclosing chamber, a gas or vapor` therein,tubular extensions of said chamber, conducting fiuids having delinitesurfaces and sealing said extensions and constituting electrodes, anadditional extension and means for causing a flow of fluid through oneof the electrode extensions into the chamber and through the additionalextension out from said chamber, means for cooling the fluid soWithdrawn, and means for causing the cooled liuid to return to thechamber.

6. Means for cooling and exhausting` a gas or vapor chamber containingone or more liuidelectrodes presenting to the vapor-path a substantiallylevel surface, consisting of means for supplying liuid thereto throughsaid liuid electrodel or electrodes, means for causing a circulation ofthe Huid through the chamber, and an independent outlet for withdrawingthe same from the chamber.

7. A current-rectilier comprising two iiuidj electrodes, an inclosinggas or vapor, said electrodes comprising columnsL of mercury held in theproper position by atmospheric pressure, and an outlet for excessmercury sealed by a column of mercury of such height as to bring itssurface under atmospheric pressure outside the main body of the chamber.

8. The combination of an inclosing chamber, a conducting gas or vaportherein, one or more fluid-electrodes presenting to the vapor-path asubstantially level surface Within the chamber, an exit-tube from thechamber, and positive means for causing a circulation of the fluid intoand out of the chamber.

9. As a means for cooling and exhausting a gas or vapor electricapparatus, a conducting iiuid presenting to the vapor-path asubstantially level surface and constituting one of the electrodes ofthe apparatus and terminating outside the inclosing chamber thereof,means for causing a circulation of the iiuid and means for withdrawing'by such circulation a portion of the gas or vapor.

10. The combination with an inclosing chamber and a conducting gas orvapor therein, of tubular extensions of the said chamber, andHuid-electrodes within the said extensions presenting to the vapor-patha substantially level surface, the said Huid-electrodes being exposed toexternal pressure, and having their outer terminals connected through asuitable pump and exhausting devices interposed in the circuit.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 28th day of April, A. D. 1903.

PERCY H. THON

